Anhui Cultural Relics Featured in Special Exhibition at National Museum of China for the First Time

According to information released by the National Museum of China on December 23, the special exhibition "Encountering King Kaolie: Archaeological Discoveries from the No. 1 Tomb of the Wuwangdun Site in Huainan, Anhui Province" will open to the public at the National Museum of China at 1:00 PM on December 26. The exhibition is co-organized by the National Museum of China and the Anhui Provincial People's Government and will run for four months. It is reported that this is the first time cultural relics from Anhui Province have been featured in a special exhibition at the National Museum of China.

The No. 1 Tomb of the Wuwangdun Site is the largest in scale, highest level and most complex Chu structure ever scientifically excavated to date. It is also the first archaeological discovery of a well-preserved, multi-chambered coffin structure with nine compartments and rich contents. The tomb has yielded a complete assemblage of artifacts that comprehensively reflect the ritual practices and daily life of the tomb occupant, holding significant academic research value.  

Among the tens of thousands of excavated artifacts, a large bronze ding with a rim diameter exceeding 88 centimeters stands out, surpassing the known largest Chu ding unearthed from the Li San Gu Dui site and rewriting the ranking of Chinese bronze dings. A lacquered wooden tabletop, the size of a desk, features vibrant dragon and phoenix patterns that remain strikingly vivid despite having endured for over two millennia. From the cover boards of the outer coffin, over 100 inscriptions comprising more than 1,500 characters written in ink were extracted—these are classic examples of Chu State script. Two sets of bianzhong (chime bells) have been preserved in excellent condition; when struck, they echo with sounds from the depths of history. Two complete sets of nine dings and eight gui (food vessels), along with over 40 sets of bronze ritual vessels, showcase the former glory of the Chu State. A spherical bronze urn, discovered for the first time, fills a gap in archaeological history.

The four-character inscription "Chu Wang Yan Qian" engraved on one bronze artifact finally unraveled the mystery: the tomb's occupant was indeed King Kaolie of Chu, Xiong Wan! In April this year, the "No.1 Tomb of the Wuwangdun Site" was selected as one of China's Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries of 2024!

This exhibition will comprehensively and multi-dimensionally showcase the archaeological findings and achievements of the No.1 Tomb of the Wuwangdun Site, reconstructing the complete process through which archaeological evidence revealed the tomb owner's identity. Simultaneously, it will highlight the functional purposes, combinations, and craftsmanship characteristics of the unearthed artifacts, the ancient textual information preserved on them, and the diverse cultural elements they embody. Through these, the exhibition aims to reconstruct the ritual systems, material culture, regional cultural exchanges, and social landscape of the late Warring States period Chu State.  

Source: Anhui Daily